Antony Dhas – A Fisherman To Cricketer

Antony Dhas: From riding the waves in a catamaran to wielding the bat at the Tamil Nadu Premier League, Antony Dhas’s life has been one of constantly pushing boundaries.

The last few seconds in the water are the most excruciating for a pearl diver. He knows he has to swim back up; his lungs scream out in the deathly silence underwater. But the object he seeks is right there. He pushes himself a little more. A little further, a little further…

Cricketer Antony Dhas from Kanyakumari story is similar to this. The years that defined his cricketing career were filled with hardship — he hardly had money for a nutritious diet or to travel to tournaments; people mocked the way he spoke and sniggered at his unease with English; his family needed his financial support… But he pushed himself more and more, until he got what he wanted. Antony is part of the Tamil Nadu team and also plays for Chemplast Sanmar.

An all-rounder, he is playing for Chepauk in the Tamil Nadu Premier League to be held later this month. Dressed in jeans, polo shirt tucked-in, with dapper black shoes and sunglasses, the 27-year-old sits down for a chat by the green expanse of Chemplast Cricket Ground at IIT Madras.